Learn to Strut
by Melethril
Summary: People looked at Bruce and all they saw was the Hulk. That only proved a fact Tony had accepted when he turned six: People were idiots. Companion piece to 'Of Cats and Tongues'


_A/N: This is the companion piece of "Of Cats and Tongues". My muse seems to insist on writing Avengers fanfic (Marvel Cinematic Universe (surprise!), but with some Marvel Comic Universe sprinkled in)… Enjoy!_

 _A/N: To the ones who read "Of Cats and Tongues": Thank you so much for the encouragement! This is the first time that I tamper with this fandom, and it's always scary to come to a new fandom with new readers. All of your comments meant a lot and I apologize for not replying, but I have not been able to do that or even read the reviews outside of my email. I have approached FFN and hope that I'll be able to do that soon._

 _Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me._

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 **Learn to Strut**

People looked at Bruce and all they saw was the Hulk.

That only proved a fact he had accepted when he turned six: People were idiots.

Nothing against the Hulk; Tony loved the Hulk!

The first time the engineer had seen him in action, his big, green friend had punched an enormous alien and turned the tide of battle in their favor.

(That helicarrier incident totally did not count. First, Tony had not actually _seen_ him in action, and second, that had not been the Hulk's fault.)

After that? The supposed 'monster' (yes, air quotes are mandatory when you call the Hulk a monster) had saved his life. To be honest, he had not witnessed that either because he had been unconscious (dying) at the time, but there was this wonderful invention called cameras, and J.A.R.V.I.S. had made sure he knew all about it (admittedly, that had not been the deeply worried A.I.'s initial intention, but never let it be said that Tony Stark had a one-track mind… outside of his workshop, or when he was on a mission…Hell, even completely focused on one thing, he was still able to multitask).

So, no, Tony loved the Hulk, but it angered him when people looked at Bruce and flinched, or were overly cautious as if he was a time bomb.

 _I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos._

 _We're... we're a time-bomb._

Why on Earth had they tensed up? _Tony_ had been able to smell the fear! He could only imagine what such anxiety did to an almost adrenaline- _dependent_ being like the Hulk; or poor Bruce who deserved to be cuddled and wrapped in a blanket, hidden away from the cruel world that would never appreciate him.

People were idiots.

In their stupid, 'he might hurt us' (as if the rest of the Avengers were any less dangerous) state of mind, they overlooked the sheer _genius_ that was Dr. Banner.

Oh sure, Fury had officially requested Bruce for his expertise in gamma radiation, but everybody (including Bruce, no matter how much he denied it) had known that was just a front and that infuriated (yes, pun intended) Tony.

Dr. Bruce Banner was one of the smartest people on the planet and, also belonging to this small group of geniuses, Tony had no qualms to admit that Bruce was more intelligent that he was, and he admitted it whenever the topic came up. That did not cause him pain; it had no negative impact on his ego. There were a few topics where he surpassed Bruce (and he was very proud of that; to be more adept at _anything_ than Bruce was an achievement to be proud of), namely mechanical engineering, computer science, robotics and pure mathematics.

Other than that? Tony's knowledge on biology and medicine was miniscule compared to Bruce', not to mention physics!

Bruce had an instinctive brilliance when it came to bioengineering. They had spent one week in Tony's workshop, and they'd revolutionized bionic prosthetics! In only a few years (once it was approved, blah, blah, blah), Stark Industries would be the leader in that field, and Tony approximately 132.24 million US dollars richer.

Oh right, he still had to mentioned to Bruce that he had put both of their names on the patent. The physicist deserved it, and it would help him if something happened that Tony had not foreseen.

He foresaw a lot, though. Tony had few true friends, and he protected them fiercely. The next time the government tried to make the physicist's life harder than it already was, they would face something a lot scarier than the Hulk… Tony was ready to tear at the very foundation that made the military work if they stepped one toe out of line and he might have mentioned that to some of the generals that he had worked with over the years.

Nobody messed with his friends.

Especially, ingenious friends who could keep up with him easily, and around whom he could just _talk_ without censure, without slowing down, just… talk. It was _exhilarating._

Being a genius was a lonely business, and Tony knew that from long if not lifelong experience. Even people considered prodigies or geniuses by normal standards could not keep up with him or Bruce once they began throwing ideas back and forth. Combined, they were unstoppable (dangerous), and Tony did not want to miss a second of it.

He had never told his friend, but he been both gleeful like a child at the prospect of meeting Bruce, and terrified. Not because of the Hulk, no, the Hulk never worried Tony. He had been afraid that Bruce would look at him and all he would see were the masks he had spent years creating. He had so desperately wanted Bruce to like him that he had been breathless when they shook hands.

 _It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster._

Tony was mortified thinking back to that first meeting, not because of his words, but because they had been so very _true_. He did not lie on a regular basis, but he rarely expressed such raw honesty when meeting new people.

Most glorious of all, Bruce had taken his antics with stride, patience and even humor, and Tony had to stop gushing, otherwise he might get a cavity…

Bruce was one of the best people he had ever met: Funny (of the snarky dork kind, which was the best), gentle, soft-spoken and so incredibly modest it was painful to watch at times. His modesty bordered on self-depreciation and Tony could not accept that; could not and would not. Whenever they were in the lab, the billionaire challenged him, made him think, made him do science - Why on Earth would Bruce shun the one thing he was supremely excellent at? - until the physicist stopped hesitating, just spread his wings and flew (or stopped tip-toeing and started to strut)… It was magical, and Tony enjoyed every second of it. As much as the engineer loved the cuddly, shy and dorky genius, to see him let loose was magnificent.

Yes, he had a crush on Dr. Banner; a completely innocent, from one Science Bro to another, 'I admire you' kind of crush. Anybody would. Anybody who met Bruce and took their time to actually see past his other 'he could smash me with his little finger' personality, past the shyness (though who could possibly not love that) and every other layer he had, and saw the broken man so hell-bent on atoning for sins he believed himself responsible for that he was blind to all the good things he (and his other self) had done... Anybody would love him for that. Dr. Bruce Banner was a man whose past (Tony had read the file, he had an idea) should have either rendered him cruel and a true monster, or crippled his heart and mind beyond repair, but instead he had become something entirely new and wonderful.

And yet, despite all the billionaire's efforts, Bruce was still flighty and ready to take off as soon as the winds changed. Tony prayed to…never mind… He _hoped_ that the next time shit hit the fan that he would be fast enough to keep the man from running.

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 _A/N: Thanks again for reading. Reviews are a wonderful thing :-)_


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